A Question About Admission

[aaron1483]

I am a premed student(Psychology major/chemistry minor) at the University of Alabama. My overall gpa is 2.9, but i have about a year left to try to bring it up. my question is to anyone that might know what my gpa (particularly science) needs to be in order to be strongly considered for admission to St matthews. I really feel like St. Matthews is where i would like to study medicine after graduation...Also i work full time as an anesthesia tech at the university hospital to pay for school...any helpful advice would be appreciated

Thanks,
Aaron

[BTH]

Salutations "aaron1483":

No one can really tell you what your GPA SHOULD be to be considered for admission. However, if I were to venture and take a guess, I would say if you get around a 3.0 (both science and cumulative) and above, especially with good letters of recommendation, some volunteer work, and a good personal statement, you should be fine. If you take the MCATs and score in the upper 20s, that would definitely be a big boost for you. At the moment, if I were in your position, I would aim for a 3.0 first, and then once I get that, I would aim for a 3.1 and so on. No need to kill brain cells and have sleepless nights worrying about whether or not you are going to get in. Work hard to try and raise your GPA and SMU will likely give you the opportunity to achieve your goals. The great thing is that SMU looks at the entire application, not just your numbers, so that will work to your advantage. By the way, if you want a more accurate answer, you should call the administration and ask. Good luck. Ciao.

[HeyMcfly]

Apply and you should get in. I got in with less than a 3.0, and did not write the MCAT's. I know people that got in with much less than what you have.

[sbturner]

Hi. I got a 20 on the MCAT, overall gpa 2.5 or so, science gpa, 2.6 or so, and I was fortunate enough to get in. Now, people are definitely going to come on here and bad mouth this post, but I always try to be upfront and honest. Yes, my scores were low, but please do not worry about it too much. Many people will try to argue that the pre-reqs are "important." I think the MCAT and the pre-reqs are a complete waste of time. But, they have to be done. Years ago that was not the case, and they were still producing very good doctors. How will I do relative to the college graduates and college superstars with the high GPA's? We are going to see! I absolutely love medicine! I take it very, very seriously! I am out to be #1! We have some great students at SMU. It is certainly a school that is worth looking into. You can do well regardless of how you do at the undergraduate level, although I strongly encourage you to do your best. This is simply my opinion. I hope it helps. Best wishes!

[skidoc42]

Don't sweat it at all. If you have the numbers you claim and experience in the medical field, you're way beyond most applicants. Apply, be yourself in your interview and you should get in. Take care!

skidoc42 ;)

[onesolo]

I think it's true that alot of people do get in with lower scores...... but alot of people don't finish either.... I'd say to bust your A$$ and try your best to get the 3.0 (at least). If you can do that then that will be great. it's a good indication of how hard you plan on working. You don't want to be one of the students that spends alot of money just to end up at home early which a 2.5 is a great indication of. Oh..... and that's just my belief.

[Knight007]

In Med school..getting in is easier than working hard.

Like sbturner said...If you have the desire to succeed...then be assured SMU
will provide everything to make sure you accomplish your goals.
But you have to keep your part of the promise and work hard to the end.
Good luck...!

[skidoc42]

Hey Everyone,

I think this is an interesting discussion. Alot of people say that low grades and test scores are an indication of how well or not well people do in medical school. And, before I came here I always wondered if that was true. I mean, we're all Caribbean students here, so we obviously didn't have the grades to get into a stateside school.

I've realized that the difference for me between undergrad work and test scores and med school material and tests is that the info learned in med school is so much more interesting and applicable than anything you learn in your undergrad. This is my personal oppinion, but based on the fact that I was bored to death with most topics in undergrad, and in med school, I love everything I'm learning! And no matter what you did in college, that makes ALL the difference in the world.

In the first semester, learning about human anatomy, embryology and histology, their applications in the real world of medicine is something that has turned my achademic view around 180 degrees. Learning about particle in a box and valence electron shell repulsion theory just didn't do it for me. Bottom line is that if you like what you're learning you'll put the time and effort into it, and that will give you all the edge you need, no matter what you did in your undergrad. Hope this helps! Take care everyone.

skidoc42 ;)

[aaron1483]

thanks all for taking time to answer my question. i am just going to try my best and see what happens. hopefully i'll see you all at st. matthews in the near future!..

Thanks
Aaron

[MDXRS22]

In Med school..getting in is easier than working hard.

Like sbturner said...If you have the desire to succeed...then be assured SMU
will provide everything to make sure you accomplish your goals.
But you have to keep your part of the promise and work hard to the end.
Good luck...!

This post makes me feel that hope is well alive for a bunky like me :)

Thanks for that inspiration! :):)

SMU, please, make sure that you don't drop my application in the next dumpster:)
I have been accepted at other schools, but you guys make me feel that this place is GOLDEN:)

[sbturner]

Hi. We value you too much! You are going to be great! Best wishes!

[MDXRS22]

Hi. We value you too much! You are going to be great! Best wishes!

Wowwwww!
YOu folks are made to be adorned with the best goodies mother earth can provide:)

Thanks!!!

[Bedazzled]

I agree 100% with skidoc. Now, obviously I don't have the med school experience yet, but I know in my undergrad that the classes that bored me to death were the ones I did poorly in, with the exception of a few that I was just no good at (re: calc II). Anyway, the classes I liked my grades soared in. That combined with the fact that most people consider their med school acceptance to a carib school to be a "second chance" is enough motivation in my mind. If you want it, you have to go after it. Now, that being said, I believe to some extent that lower scores can predict lower med school grades or failures. Some people just may lack the study skills or time management. However, I also believe the people with the lowest scores could easily come back to kick some butt because they learned their lesson and consider SMU their last chance. For this reason, SMU is giving people an amazing opportunity!

just my $.02.